Chapter 13: Save It, All Right? (Major Revision)

Luo Yanxing finally stepped into Zhaoge’s Medical Workshop.

The Medical Workshop was brightly lit. Two people were grinding medicinal powder in the corner, while behind the counter in the very center sat someone with fine, pretty features. Under the candlelight, his clean face looked especially soft, making it hard to tell whether he was male or female.

Uncle Qi spoke first. “Young lady, may I ask…”

There were some basic medicinal materials and medical texts in the Medical Workshop. Wan Tianyou had been staying up late reading medical books, trying to research a way to extract the poisonous mist inside his life-bound artifact into poison liquid. Hearing that a merchant caravan had arrived, he forced himself to stay alert, reading as he waited. Who knew that the moment they entered, they would call him a young lady? Wan Tianyou’s face flushed red, and he blurted out, “Are you blind?”

Wan Tianyou had been delicate-looking since childhood, and he was naturally fair-skinned. Unfortunately, he was also shorter than others his age and had even been harassed before. After becoming a menial worker, he smeared his face black every day. It was only after following his employer that he washed his face clean again.

The people from Swift Wind Trading House noticed the ill-intentioned looks the other menial workers cast toward them, and sweat immediately broke out on their foreheads. When they came in, they truly had not feared the people of Zhaoge, but they had not expected so many people to be hidden in this valley.

When they saw the large shadowy cluster of buildings under the night sky, though from a distance they could not tell those were shacks, as well as the people walking through the valley, they realized this place was far more dangerous than they had expected.

Who the hell knew when a settlement of over a thousand people had appeared in this wasteland?

When Luo Yanxing and Uncle Qi realized this, both of them smiled bitterly inwardly, thinking that after so many years as traveling merchants, they had still misjudged the situation. At this moment, they only hoped the other side would be somewhat easy to deal with on account of Swift Wind Trading House’s name.

So after discovering that the person was a man, Uncle Qi immediately apologized. “Ah, I am truly sorry. This old man’s eyes are dim with age, and I offended this shopkeeper. It is only that we urgently need some medicine to replenish qi and blood. I hope the workshop can make things convenient and sell us some to save a life.”

Wan Tianyou glanced at Guo Qianshan and the others who had followed them in. Only after seeing them nod did he say, “The workshop naturally has medicine, but I’m not the shopkeeper here. I’m only a menial worker. Everything in this valley belongs to our master.”

Wan Tianyou had a drawn face and looked like he had a terrible temper, but the words he spoke shocked Luo Yanxing and Uncle Qi. Luo Yanxing was at the third level of Qi Refining, Uncle Qi was at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and everyone else in the caravan was below the third level.

It was precisely because of this team that their trading house had managed to survive under the suppression of Strange Treasure Hall. As for the other trading houses in Donglai Kingdom, Strange Treasure Hall had long since scattered the ones it could scatter and absorbed the ones it could absorb.

In the barren Easternmost Continent, someone at complete Qi Refining could enter the court as a general or minister, while a mid-level Qi Refining cultivator could serve as an important official in a kingdom. Uncle Qi had only stayed to work because he was too old, his life-bound artifact could not fight, and he had some old ties with Swift Wind Trading House. The other cultivators in this caravan also each had their own reasons for why advancement was difficult. Even so, they were only hired by the trading house. They had not acknowledged anyone as their master.

But the people in this valley were clearly different. Judging from their appearances, they were only around twenty years old, yet the lowest among them already had second-level Qi Refining cultivation. The one carrying a saber on his back had even reached the fourth level of Qi Refining. Moreover, judging from these people’s auras, all of them were harmonious and full, clearly still holding great hope of advancement.

With good fortune, these people could advance to Foundation Establishment within the next few decades and become true cultivators.

And these young people with such promising futures had already acknowledged a master.

What kind of person could be their master?

And why would that person build a place called Zhaoge in this sparsely populated wasteland valley, even taking in more than a thousand people?

Guo Qianshan and the other menial workers had received guidance from the “Immortal Master” and then undergone a desperate battle with the mystic armor beetles, which was why they had advanced so quickly. On the surface, they called Chi Yixuan their employer, but in their hearts, they had already acknowledged him as their master. Aside from Guo Qianshan, the others had only been at the first or second level of Qi Refining not long ago.

Everyone knew that the higher one went, the harder advancement became. There were many cultivators at the first and second levels of Qi Refining, but those above the third level were rare. Without this opportunity, perhaps they would have needed several more years before they could struggle upward. The people of the caravan did not know this. The more they thought about it, the more deeply wary they became. But it had to be said that they also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that Zhaoge’s master would not stoop to attacking them for their wealth.

Because saving a life was urgent, Luo Yanxing said, “Saving him is the priority. Please sell us some pills that replenish qi and blood.”

Wan Tianyou looked toward his other companions. “What’s the market price for these pills now?”

Qiu Ping’an said, “Blood Replenishing Pills and Qi Replenishing Pills are both yellow-grade pills, and their prices are the same. On the market now, one low-grade yellow-grade pill costs ten taels of silver, while an upper-grade pill costs several times that, fifty taels each.”

Luo Yanxing immediately had someone present the silver.

But Wan Tianyou did not even look at it. He said, “That’s the market price. Our price here is different.”

These words, which seemed like an outrageously rude case of raising the price on the spot, actually received Guo Qianshan’s approval. He nodded and said, “That’s right. This is a wasteland, so the price of medicine is naturally different.”

Wan Tianyou held up a number. “We don’t have low-grade ones, only upper-grade ones. One hundred taels each.”

That amount was enough to buy one low-grade Spirit Replenishing Pill. But the people of the trading house did not haggle. They silently handed over the money.

The moment he got the pill, Uncle Qi carefully inspected it. After finding nothing wrong with it, he immediately fed it to the worker.

The medicinal strength of this upper-grade Blood Replenishing Pill was astonishing. A pair of blushes instantly rose on the worker’s deathly pale face, and his body, which had gone cold from blood loss, gradually warmed again. Uncle Qi checked his pulse and found that it grew stronger with each passing moment. It seemed he would fully recover by daybreak.

“This medicinal effect is actually so strong! If only we had had this kind of medicine back then…” Uncle Qi’s eyes went blank as he murmured in disbelief. Slowly, his eyes actually filled with tears.

Luo Yanxing looked at this scene without speaking. She only silently patted Uncle Qi on the shoulder.

Uncle Qi’s wife had died of excessive blood loss. Back then, she had been attacked by a demonic creature, and even after being fed a Blood Replenishing Pill, her life could not be saved. If the Blood Replenishing Pill from those years had possessed such powerful medicinal strength, he would not have lost his beloved.

Recalling these regrets, Luo Yanxing fell silent for a time.

Ma Hongxuan watched from neither too close nor too far away. Seeing the old man’s face streaked with tears, he could not help quietly guessing, “Could he be grieving over the silver?”

Qiu Ping’an whispered, “One hundred taels is indeed a little expensive.”

Wan Tianyou muttered unhappily, “This is life-saving medicine. It’s not the same as ordinary medicine.”

Guo Qianshan said calmly, “Don’t forget what our employer instructed.”

Qiu Ping’an slapped his chest. “I haven’t forgotten!”

They had never used upper-grade Blood Replenishing Pills before and did not know that the upper-grade Blood Replenishing Pills produced by the Medical Workshop were several degrees stronger than those on the market. So when Luo Yanxing proposed buying more upper-grade Blood Replenishing Pills, they only assumed this caravan was being forced to swallow its broken teeth with blood for the sake of preparing against emergencies. They did not know that in Luo Yanxing’s heart, these Blood Replenishing Pills were worth the price.

With one hand in front of him and the other behind his back, Qiu Ping’an smiled. “That pill just now was life-saving medicine for you. If you want to buy more, that won’t be the price.”

Luo Yanxing immediately frowned.

Although Blood Replenishing Pills were yellow-grade and could not compare to mystic-grade Spirit Replenishing Pills, their effects were different. The medicinal strength of the Blood Replenishing Pills in Zhaoge’s Medical Workshop far surpassed those on the market, and they even faintly had a bit of the effect of Spirit Replenishing Pills. Because of that, Luo Yanxing felt that although one hundred taels per pill was slightly expensive, it was not a loss. When it truly came down to a matter of life and death, ten Blood Replenishing Pills from outside could not compare to one pill here.

But for Zhaoge’s Medical Workshop to suddenly raise the price like this was far too ugly a way to do business.

Just as Luo Yanxing was about to develop a poor impression of the master behind Zhaoge as well, she heard Qiu Ping’an say cheerfully, “If you want to buy them now, fifty taels each.”

Luo Yanxing froze, somewhat unable to believe it. “What?”

Qiu Ping’an had originally wanted to say that if they bought mystic armor plates, the pills would come at a discount. But his eyes were bright, and he immediately detected from Luo Yanxing’s attitude how much they liked the Blood Replenishing Pills, so he changed his words on the spot. “However, our pills here aren’t sold separately. If you want to buy them, you have to buy them together with the mystic armor plates from our Zhaoge Artifact Refining Workshop.”

This demand was somewhat unreasonable. Bundled sales were usually something only large trading houses with priceless, impossible-to-buy goods could do. Zhaoge had only just started out, yet it was making such a demand. Anyone who did not understand the situation would probably curse them as profiteers.

Qiu Ping’an knew perfectly well that the mystic armor plates from their Artifact Refining Workshop were all good things. Back when he was in Strange Treasure Hall, he had never seen such fine ones. But Swift Wind Trading House might not need large quantities of mystic armor plates. No matter how good the items were, if others had no use for them, it was pointless.

But if they missed this caravan, who knew when the next caravan would come? Qiu Ping’an was unwilling to disappoint their employer.

Unexpectedly, Luo Yanxing did not look troubled at all. After pondering for a moment, she nodded decisively. “That works.”

After all, armor plates were not finished armor, and their market price was not particularly high. If buying them together with armor plates allowed her to purchase superior Blood Replenishing Pills and Qi Replenishing Pills at fifty taels each, Luo Yanxing considered this deal no loss.

But when Zhaoge’s people carried up several baskets of mystic armor plates, and the blazing firelight shone over those black armor plates that glimmered faintly, her eyes suddenly widened.

She could not help picking up one armor plate and inspecting it closely. Very quickly, she recognized that this was the shell of a mystic armor beetle. Mystic armor beetles were not particularly precious or difficult prey to kill, but their shells could not be directly used as armor material. They still needed to undergo an artifact-refining process. Not many craftsmen had this skill, and their standards varied greatly.

Yet the quality of these armor plates before her eyes was no longer limited to ordinary armor. They had reached a level where they could be directly made into heart-protecting armor. After examining the material of several armor plates and confirming that all of them were upper-grade yellow-grade, Luo Yanxing could not wait any longer and directly said, “Our trading house will buy them all!”

Swift Wind Trading House had never done armor business, because any slightly better armor materials had all been monopolized by Strange Treasure Hall. And Strange Treasure Hall’s reach did not only occupy the armor business. Over the years, Swift Wind Trading House had been repeatedly suppressed by Strange Treasure Hall, and in their hearts, they hated Strange Treasure Hall to the point of gnashing their teeth.

Although the Longevity Realm had countless immortal gates and innumerable large and small nations, ordinary people’s lives were not considered easy. People with low cultivation were very likely to be killed in the wilderness, either dying at the hands of villains who murdered others for wealth or dying to strange demonic creatures. Some small things, such as sand worms, could silently burrow onto a person’s body. By the time they were discovered, it would already be too late.

If someone was willing to remain an ordinary person all their life and stay forever inside a city, village, or town, then that would be one thing. But of those who had summoned a life-bound artifact, who had never thought of entering the Dao and cultivating? And if they wanted to advance, they had to go out and gain experience.

Because of that, armor had always been in short supply. By relying on its monopoly over the armor business, Strange Treasure Hall had not only earned a fortune, but also made most cultivators in the Easternmost Continent afraid to become its enemy.

If Swift Wind Trading House could obtain a stable channel for supplying armor materials, it could break Strange Treasure Hall’s monopoly and then win over a large number of cultivators. From then on, it would no longer suffer Strange Treasure Hall’s bullying and suppression.

Because of this, Luo Yanxing could hardly wait as she asked, “How much more does your Artifact Refining Workshop have? Can you produce them steadily? Our trading house wants them all. We can sign a contract!”

It was not only Luo Yanxing. The other people in the caravan also began breathing more heavily as they looked at the armor plates.

Qiu Ping’an: …

Wan Tianyou: …

Guo Qianshan: …

Ma Hongxuan: …

There was only one sentence in their hearts: their employer was truly amazing!

Clearly, from the caravan’s reaction, they had already realized how much value the two workshops their employer had casually created possessed.

Before they could think about how to establish the contract or whether they needed to ask their employer for instructions, Wan Tianyou noticed a slight flash on the counter. A paper contract had appeared there. It was Chi Yixuan using the game panel to remotely send it into the Medical Workshop.

Not long ago, the life-bound artifact had said to Chi Yixuan, “Your Majesty, I have scouted out some information. The people of Swift Wind Trading House are in the nearest city. If their people encounter a mishap here tonight, someone will soon find this place. They have a method of leaving tracking traces. I have not yet detected their method.”

“However, please rest assured. They do not know this place was originally Nameless Valley, nor that Sea of Suffering Path is next door. Even if their companions trace them here, they will not dare to enter, much less dare to come trouble you.”

Chi Yixuan was speechless. “You aren’t about to tell me to kill them and take their wealth, are you? As my life-bound artifact, you’re actually looking at me through the crack in the door!”

The life-bound artifact: …

Its tone was somewhat helpless. “Your Majesty, I did not mean to look down on you. I meant that if you wish, you can force them to become your subjects. That way, you can seize the wealth of the entire Swift Wind Trading House.”

Chi Yixuan was startled. “There’s even an operation like that? Why didn’t I hear you mention it before?”

The life-bound artifact said, “After Your Majesty advanced, I also received an upgrade and obtained more knowledge. As long as they verbally acknowledge becoming your subjects, you can use Skill Three: Son of Heaven’s Decree to control their life and death. Then they will have no choice but to be driven by you.”

Chi Yixuan was surprised. “That works too? This skill is much more powerful than I thought. What if they resent me and deliberately make trouble?”

“Your homeland experienced countless wars in history. Different ethnic groups hated one another, but after undergoing integration, they now sincerely believe in the same motherland from the bottom of their hearts. This is an inevitable trend. Even if they hate you now, in the future, they will regard you as their sovereign father and sincerely obey your command.”

Chi Yixuan said, “Did you get a virus after upgrading? I feel like even the way you talk has changed.”

“I have not gotten a virus. Then are you willing to accept my proposal?”

Chi Yixuan laughed and cursed, “No. Get lost.”

“Very well.”

Chi Yixuan was no saint. In truth, when facing the life-bound artifact’s proposal, he had indeed felt tempted for an instant, but it had only been an instant. In the end, when living in this world, there were things one did and things one did not do.

The caravan had neither offended him nor attacked Zhaoge. For no reason at all, why would he harm them? Moreover, forcing others to join his camp was also very boring. It made his Zhaoge seem so trashy that it had to force people to join.

So after observing that there was nothing wrong with how Qiu Ping’an and the others handled things, Chi Yixuan sent over the business contract drafted with the life-bound artifact’s help: a trade agreement.

…

After reading all the clauses, even an experienced merchant like Luo Yanxing had no choice but to admit that this contract was impeccable. There was almost nothing that needed further negotiation.

In this contract, Zhaoge would be responsible for providing a certain quantity of armor materials and pills every half month, while Swift Wind Trading House would be responsible for delivering grain, timber, and other goods Zhaoge needed when collecting the goods. If Swift Wind Trading House did not have them, it would pay in silver.

As a merchant, Luo Yanxing instinctively wanted to add a right of first refusal: in the future, if another trading house offered a price to buy, as long as Swift Wind Trading House needed the goods, it could place orders first at the same price.

But when she thought of the master behind Zhaoge, and then of this contract that had appeared out of thin air right before her eyes, Luo Yanxing ultimately did not dare act recklessly.

She signed the contract readily.

At the same time, the life-bound artifact’s reminder rang beside Chi Yixuan’s ear.

“You have opened up a trade route for Zhaoge. You have allowed Zhaoge’s goods to circulate, injecting new vitality into the development of this imperial dynasty and giving the imperial dynasty’s future more positive possibilities. You have obtained ten thousand points.”

“You currently possess 24,320 points. Extract?”

Of course, Chi Yixuan immediately extracted them.

His cultivation immediately arrived, and Chi Yixuan reached complete Qi Refining without any obstruction.

“You have 4,320 points remaining. Congratulations, you can unlock another new function.”

…

The caravan had obtained superior Blood Replenishing Pills and Qi Replenishing Pills, as well as several large chests of excellent armor materials, and they were obviously extremely excited. Even when they slept, they kept the goods by their sides to guard them. As for the goods they had brought, those were given to Zhaoge along with the silver.

They included grain, cloth, spices, and so on.

Guo Qianshan and the others had not built shacks of their own. At night, they all slept on the floor of the Artifact Refining Workshop. But cultivators needed very little sleep, and most of the time, they cultivated while guarding the Artifact Refining Workshop.

There was still no warehouse in the valley, so everyone could only move the goods into the Artifact Refining Workshop. Now they did not even have a place to meditate, but no one minded. Instead, they excitedly began taking inventory of the goods.

“Look, hurry! There’s a small bag of spiritual food in here! Real spiritual food, the kind specially supplied to cultivators!” Qiu Ping’an shouted. Ma Hongxuan was nearby using his hand to measure cloth, planning to use the best fabric to make their employer a new set of clothes. Hearing this, he immediately jumped up. “Don’t rush. Let me weigh it first!”

He summoned his own life-bound artifact: a steelyard scale. Then he carefully hung the small bag of spiritual food on the hook.

Guo Qianshan, Qiu Ping’an, Wan Tianyou, and the others all held their breath and stared at him.

A moment later, Ma Hongxuan said regretfully, “Only seven taels.”

Qiu Ping’an said in disappointment, “Ah, not even half a catty!”

Guo Qianshan evaluated calmly, “Not enough to cook one meal of dry rice.”

Wan Tianyou said, “Save it, and we can still make several meals of porridge.”

After looking at one another for a moment, everyone sighed in unison.

…

Early the next morning, a bowl of porridge was placed on Chi Yixuan’s table. The grains of rice were long and oval, snow-white in color, and still gave off wisps of steam.

At first, Chi Yixuan did not think much of it. But the instant it entered his mouth, he was extremely surprised. “This porridge is so fragrant!” And when he swallowed it, it was very comfortable. His mouth and throat both seemed to be soothed.

“It is the most valuable item among the batch of goods the trading house gave us. Spiritual food specially supplied to cultivators. There was only a small bag, less than half a catty. After they obtained it, they discussed how to use these seven taels of spiritual food, carefully weighed the amount, and decided to make you one bowl every morning.”

“They originally wanted to add a little minced meat and greens, but considering that ordinary food would affect the taste of the spiritual food, they finally only sprinkled in a bit of salt.”

Chi Yixuan remembered the scene of them delivering meat soup to him for the first time. His heart was somewhat moved, and he sighed. “I know what I’m unlocking next.”

The life-bound artifact asked curiously, “Is it related to grain?”

Chi Yixuan answered without hesitation, “No. It’s the sewer system.”

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